Public Reaction to Saddam's Capture

And now the most arresting two minutes in television, the latest from the wartime grapevine:

Public Reaction to Saddam's Capture

A new poll taken yesterday, just after Saddam Hussein's capture, shows the president's approval rating on Iraq is now 10 percentage points higher than it was last month. What's more, the poll, published in TheWashington Post, shows the president's overall approval rating is now 4 percentage points higher than it was just last week. In a separate poll taken yesterday, 54 percent of Americans now say they are confident U.S. forces will find weapons of mass destruction (search), compared with 41 percent nearly a week ago.

Report Reaction

The reaction to Saddam's capture was mostly jubilant, as reported by the media, but not all of it. ABC's Peter Jennings said -- "there's not a good deal for Iraqis to be happy about at the moment. Life is still very chaotic, beset by violence in many cases, huge shortages."

Reuters today says -- "Joy at the capture of Saddam Hussein gave way to resentment toward Washington Monday as Iraqis confronted afresh the bloodshed, shortages and soaring prices of life under U.S. occupation."

The gloom was even deeper over on the Democratic National Committee's online forum. Pam Bergren writes -- "I personally don't care too much that Hussein was caught -- he never did anything to me." Someone named Marsh says -- "This is supposed to be a war on terror, not a war on tyranny." And Erik Latranyi says it -- "takes the 'failure to capture' issue off the table. ... what is left? Oh, yes, the capture of Bin Laden. If that happens, we are completely sunk."

Change in Chicken Story

The Los Angeles Times has published a correction regarding its profile of the former Tyson employee who said he was more haunted by killing chickens than by killing enemy soldiers during the invasion of Panama or killing a man outside a bar some years ago.

The Times now acknowledges that, as we told you last week, there is no evidence Virgil Butler was ever in the military or ever shot a man outside a bar. But the Chicago Tribune -- which published The Times story after The Times did -- has yet to acknowledge the errors. What's more, The Baltimore Sun published The Times story yesterday -- one day after The Times said the story was factually wrong.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report

With more than 35 years of journalism experience to draw from, Brit Hume currently serves as a senior political analyst for FOX News Channel (FNC) and contributes to all major political coverage. Hume also is regular panelist on FOX's weekly public affairs program, "FOX News Sunday" on Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET. Click here for more information on Brit Hume.